This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for separating and reorienting advancing items having a flat, at least approximately rectangular shape. The apparatus has an input conveyor which advances the items to an output conveyor provided with item pusher members. The conveying directions of the input and output conveyors define an angle less than 90.degree.. On the input conveyor the long sides of the items are in contact with one another. On the output conveyor the items are separated from one another and are advanced in their length dimension by the respective pusher members of the output conveyor so that a first corner of the item which was a leading corner on the input conveyor becomes a trailing corner on the output conveyor and a diametrically located, originally trailing second corner becomes a leading corner subsequent to a reorientation of the item. During reorientation the first corner abuts a stop.
An apparatus of the above-outlined type is known and is disclosed, for example, in Swiss Pat. No. 362,364. In such an apparatus in the reorientation zone there is provided a curved guide on which the above-defined second corner of the item slides as the item is being advanced by the pusher member of the output conveyor. The force exerted by the guide on the second corner of the item effects the reorientation thereof.
It is a disadvantage of the above-noted arrangement that in case of delicate articles, such as wafers, candy bars or the like, the corner of the article may be damaged, resulting in rejects which often cannot be removed from the further chain of processing. In case the corner is damaged to a substantial extent, the fragments which have broken off the item may even endanger the operation of the apparatus.